


Leader

by Rin_the_Shadow



Series: To Turn Spark [21]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy), Transformers: Armada
Genre: AU to Transformers: Armada, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Hopeful Ending, Gen, Mentions of past abuse, Past Character Death, adjusting to leadership, autobot spirituality? whatever you think the Matrix is to them, hot shot tries, implied PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24497017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_the_Shadow/pseuds/Rin_the_Shadow
Summary: As Hot Shot adjusts to the change in leadership and the group's preparations to go to Cybertron, he can't help questioning just why the Matrix chose him.
Relationships: Hot Shot & Autobots, Hot Shot & Matrix of Leadership, Hot Shot & Starscream (Transformers)
Series: To Turn Spark [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1140827
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Leader

The Matrix of Leadership didn’t make mistakes. At least, that was what the Autobots said. Or if they didn’t say it, they still knew it. Even before they started training or schooling or whatever other path they might take, they knew that. Scrap, some went as far to say that ‘bots left the spark chamber knowing that. The Matrix of Leadership didn’t make mistakes.

Except…after all this, Hot Shot wasn’t so sure. He’d never trained to take over leadership, not like Jetfire or Scavenger, or even as much as someone like Red Alert, who could function in the role during emergencies due to his background as Chief Medical Officer. And that was without even considering what had happened after Optimus’s death. Him snapping at everyone and everything. Slag, he’d even lashed out at _Sideswipe_ of all ‘bots. He was pretty sure _that_ wasn’t one of the standards for leadership. Otherwise the Matrix might as well have picked _Megatron_.

That thought stopped him. No, that wasn’t the same. Not entirely, anyway. He’d at least been able to realize it was wrong, been able to walk himself back once he'd realized it. Besides that, he was pretty sure Scavenger wouldn’t have let him walk away from that fight if he’d been the same as Megatron.

With Starscream onboard, he really ought to have known better than thinking that. The seeker didn’t share much, and he hid them pretty well, but even Hot Shot knew what concealed plating-scars looked like. With the placement of some of those, it didn’t take a genius to know he hadn’t gotten those in battle. There were almost no maneuvers involving grabs to the head. Not in the style most Autobots trained in.

Then there was the wing issue. And really, the contact issue in general. Sure, some of it made sense. Decepticons weren’t exactly friendly outside of…ever, actually. And seekers didn’t tend to appreciate uninvited contact, not from what he knew of them, but Starscream took it to a completely different level. It wasn't too hard to guess where _that_ had come from, either.

So Hot Shot might’ve screwed up big time these last few weeks. It didn’t mean he had to let it turn into a pattern, even if he _did_ question the Matrix’s taste in leadership.

It hadn’t even been a week since he’d been sworn in, and already, he could barely remember it. Slag, he could barely even remember the announcement he’d given when the _Axalon_ ’s construction had finally finished. Which probably meant he’d stumbled over words and never really actually given anything that could count as an order, and probably Jetfire had stepped in.

Really, why couldn’t the Matrix have picked him instead?

Well, it wasn’t like it was going to change its mind now. Not unless things really went to scrap and as much as he’d rather things not have happened this way, slagging up everything so bad the Matrix forced you out? Yeah, not really something he wanted.

Might as well backtrack to that announcement he’d given that morning. Construction was done. Then Hot Shot could be pretty sure he’d at least said that much. Probably the next step was heading out for Cybertron. The same place where the Mini-Cons had been treated like spoils of war and weapons.

Right. Because of what had happened, he didn’t want to force them to come along. But he _had_ wanted the offer on the table in case any of them chose to.

Wasn’t a leader supposed to make more decisions than this? Or was this one of those things the others should still be helping with at that point? Optimus had usually held a council with Jetfire, Scavenger, and often Red Alert before bringing an announcement to the others. Slag, why hadn’t he thought of that _before_ he talked to the Mini-Cons?

Slagging—he was a warrior, not a diplomat!

Heh, maybe that was just what he needed to be at the moment. Head to the training room, take a few laps, maybe spar on a practice hologram. Clear his processor a bit. Besides, it wasn’t like they could take the entire base with them, and Hot Shot would miss that training hall once it was gone.

The training room signaled one occupant, but Hot Shot hadn’t paid much heed to it. If a ‘bot wanted to train by themselves, it was easy enough to lock the door.

But evidently, this occupant hadn’t realized he could do that. As soon as Hot Shot stepped through the door, Starscream startled, and he nearly ended up with a wing-blade to the face.

“Woah!” he held up his hands, reminding himself not to go into defense mode. “No big deal, I can come back later.”

As soon as he realized what he’d done, Starscream had shut off the blade and returned it to his wing, averting his gaze as he spoke. “No, I’ll…be leaving shortly.”

“Nah,” Hot Shot said with a wave of his hand. “You got as much right to be here as any of the rest of us.”

“That’s not it,” he insisted. “I thought I’d try out the training rooms one last time before we left. Turns out I’m still not a fan of battling with holograms.” A wry smirk twisted at the corner of his lip, but the tension in his stance said there was more to it.

He wasn’t sure if that was something he should continue pressing or not. What would Optimus have done? Or was he even supposed to be in his leader role for this?

“Yeah, they take some getting used to.” Probably wasn’t what he meant, but if he wanted to correct him, he could certainly do so. “Though if you end up using this room again before we go, you know how to use the locking mechanism, right?”

“…I know.” Then that was something else, too. Wasn’t it?

Red Alert had given him some pointers for meeting with different ‘bots, like making sure Blurr had a clear view of all exits. And he could remember him saying not to seal the room if it was with Starscream. But he’d figured that was just with other ‘bots. It wasn’t like he ever _unlocked_ the door to his own room, after all.

“You don’t have to use it, of course. Just wanted to make sure you could if you wanted to.”

Starscream fixed him with a stare he’d become all too familiar with, glancing up from under his helm like he didn’t quite understand what he meant, but wasn’t about to ask.

“Is something wrong?” Unless that was the question.

If he’d been Hoist or Jetfire, he would have asked if he’d busted the control switch or something. Tried to ease up the tension. But that wouldn’t work here, would it? He’d just take that as an accusation, and maybe he wouldn’t fight like they had before, but now that he was leading, this was the kind of thing he had to start thinking about. Especially with ‘bots from his kind of situation, or ‘bots who were younger, like Sideswipe. Who’d take him literally even if it should have been obvious he was joking.

“Nah, just fritzed my processor a bit earlier,” he said. “I’m still getting used to this whole leadership thing.”

One month ago, he wouldn’t have wanted to admit something like that. Even now, admitting that to someone wearing a Decepticon insignia set off a few alarms in his head. But he wasn’t worried about him becoming another Sideways anymore. At least, no more than in passing, and nothing he couldn’t redirect.

“Is that why you’re not wearing the Matrix?”

Hot Shot rubbed at the back of his neck. “Heh…something like that.”

It surprised him that Starscream had asked it at all, let alone that he’d managed not to backtrack and snap that it wasn’t important.

There was a pause, both loaded to the brim with questions neither wanted to be the first to say. Honestly, Hot Shot wasn’t even sure if it was his place to ask, leader or otherwise. And Starscream would probably never volunteer it if he didn’t ask about it first. Though he was maybe getting a little better about that.

They had finally started to turn to pass each other, when Hot Shot turned around. “Hey, before you go. I just wanted to make sure you knew, you don’t have to like…freak out or anything over the change in leadership, yeah? I’m still the same Hot Shot I’ve always been, Matrix or no Matrix.”

For a moment, he contemplated holding out his arm for their modified fist-bump, but decided against it. It’d probably be just a bit too surreal for the seeker right then. If he wasn’t just sworn in as leader of the Autobots, he might have been okay with it. Maybe. But with everything else going on, it was better not to risk it.

Even now, he could see him sifting and processing what he’d just said. Finally, that smirk returned. “That’s debatable. But I’ll leave all this Matrix business to you, Autobot,” he said, not quite turning to leave until the door had shut behind him.

Hm. He guessed some habits were just too ingrained to break.

As he started up the training protocol, setting it to work on agility, not combat, Hot Shot went over everything one last time. Set up a meeting with Scavenger and Jetfire before his next announcement. Got it. Check with Red Alert to make sure everything was within acceptable parameters before liftoff. Got it. Figure out what everyone’s crew assignments would be. A bit more complicated, but nothing too unmanageable.

Did he need to start learning how to connect with the Matrix like Jetfire had? He sighed. Probably. He still wasn’t sure if he was ready for that, and honestly, he wasn’t sure who he could tell that to that would _get_ that. Maybe Jetfire. Maybe Red Alert. Probably Starscream, who, being a Decepticon, didn’t know much about the Matrix in the first place and had basically said as much.

He still wasn’t sure it had made the right choice. Or that he believed it when Optimus said things would work out for the best. But he’d had at least one thing go right, so he couldn’t frag up everything, right?

He’d figure this leadership thing out. He just hoped he could figure it out in time. Hot Shot ex-vented, shifting to his vehicle form, and started the exercise.

**Author's Note:**

> It feels wrong to say, but when I watched Transformers: Armada, I found myself thinking I would have liked a little more space to let the death of Optimus Prime and the Autobots' adjustment to that breathe. I think there's enough of Hot Shot's struggle with becoming leader that we can infer from what's shown, but at times, I feel like I would have liked some more focus given to it, which is kind of difficult when you're in the endgame of a series with a set number and length of episodes.
> 
> The budding friendship between Hot Shot and Starscream was something I hadn't necessarily visited in awhile, and so I wanted to explore a little of how that dynamic would change with Hot Shot becoming leader and as such, that he is also becoming privy to some information on his teammates which he wouldn't necessarily have known before. Though that part will probably be explored more in the following fics.
> 
> In any event, please let me know what you think!  
> ~Rin


End file.
